Background: The 'restructuring' of the NHS over the last decade has demanded a 'market oriented' service more receptive to the needs and priorities of 'clients'receiving health care. These changes have been important to the provision of dental health care in which there has been a similar need to provide increasingly patient and market oriented services. One of the ways in which quality care has been assessed within NHS Trusts is through the national 'Chartermark' award, which identifies national centres of excellence in health care and research.
Aim: The aim of this paper is to assess whether patients themselves considered the criteria identified by the Chartermark award important in the provision of good quality dental services
Method: This is a pilot study consisting of a structured questionnaire conducted face-to-face with a 'convenience' sample of 46 patients.
Analysis: Data were inputted into SPSS and thematic analysis was conducted on the data.
Results: The Chartermark criteria relevant to patient involvement were divided into four main themes.The findings from this small pilot study suggest that in relation to dental care, although patients are interested in information on standards, performance and complaints, there is considerable disinterest in organisational and financial dimensions.